Air cleaner



AIR CLEANER 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Sept. 15, 1950 00000000 000000000 o o o 0 J 11 Mak'dh 22, 1932. I DONALDSQN 1,850,343

AIR CLEANER Filed Sept. 13, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 22, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE 4' FRANK A. DONALDSON, 01B MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

y present invention provides an extremely simple. and highly eificient air cleaner adapted for a wide range of use but especially designed and particularly adapted for use in connection with internal combustion engines of tractors that are used on farms or in road work where the air is heavily laden with dust.

Generally stated, the present invention consists of the novel devices, combinations of devices and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

Certain ofthe features illustrated in the drawings of the present application are illustrated and broadly claimed in a companion application S. N. 481,632, entitled Air cleaner, executed by me of even date herewith.

The present improved air Eleaner and also the air cleaner of the earlier application above referred to comprise a cyclonic or centrifugally-acting dust collector operated as a primary cleaner to remove the niajor portion of'the dust from the air and a filter-act- 5 ing cleaner operating as a secondary cleaner to remove substantially'all of the remaining minor portion of the dust from the air. The invention consists chiefly in a novel relative arrangement of said primary and secondary cleaners whereby a compact arrangement is provided and in a very elficient manner the air is taken from a relatively high point and is drawn downward and delivered to the car buretor free from dust.

like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views:

Fig. 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical axial section showing the complete air cleaner; I

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section'taken' on the line 44 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1 looking upward.

The carburetor of the internal combustion 5o .engine to which .the cleaner is designed to In the accompanying drawings wherein.

Application filed September 18, 1980. Serial No. 481,638.

deliver air is not shown, but it is adapted to be connected more or less directly to the depending neck 6 of a vertically disposed drumlike casin 7, the bottom of which is of hopper-like ormation and the upper edge of M which is formed with a flange 8 in which is seated an annular gasket or packing ring 9. A dome-like upper shell or case section 10 is provided at its lower edge with an outstanding angular flange 11 that holds the gasket or packing ring 12 and is arranged to lap over the flange 9 of lower case section 7. The contracted portion of the dome 10 is formed with a large axial passage afforded by a vertically disposed sleeve-like inner air tube 13. 55 The primary air cleaner above referred to comprises an upright cylindrical shell 14 that is concentric with but is of much larger diameter and greater length than the air tube 13 and at its lower end is secured or attached to the dome 10 at 14. High above the dome 10 a horizontal annular partition 15 is secured to and between the air tube 13 and the shell 14 and this partition is provided with one or more dust delivery ports 16. By the structure just described a dust chamber 17 is formed in the lower portion of the primary cleaner or centrifugally-acting dust collector. The shell l is provided with a dust discharge neck or boss 18 that opens from the lower portion of one side of the dust chamber 17 and is normally closed by a removable plug 19. Secured within and extending across the upper portion of the shell 14 high above the upper end of the air tube 13 is a disc-like par- 35 tition 20, the central portion of which is imperforate but the rim portion of which is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced air passages formed between obliquely set blades 21.

Above the partition 20 and below the top plate 22 of the shell 14, said shell is formed with a large number of small air passages 23 that are spaced both circumferentially and vertically.

Securely clamped in the shell or lower case section 7 is a filtering cartridge through which the air-must pass from the primary cleaner to the neck section, from thence to the carburetor. This filter cartridge is dis- 100 closed and claimed in my companion application-above referred to and hence may be here briefly described as follows:

A drum-like cartridge shell 24 is formed at its delivery end with a perforated head 25 and at its receivin end is provided with an open woven wire fi r-retaining head 26 that is rigidl secu'red to the outturned flange of shell 24 y suitable means such as a clamping collar 27 clinched onto the same. Clamping collar 27 also securely holds in position a truncated deflectin flange 28 more fully described and claimef in said companion application. The numeral 29 indicates a fibrous material such as moss that is packed within the cartridge and performs the filterin function. The out-turned flanges of the s ell 24 and the woven wire head 26 combined with the clinching ring 27 forms an anchoring flange that fits snugly between the opposing gaskets 9 and 12.

For clamping the two sections of the cleaner together and for forming a tight jomt between the just noted outstanding anchoring flange and the cartridge a clampin ring 30 is loosely fitted around the dome an rests directly on the shoulder of the outstanding flange 11 thereof. This clamping ring 30 has outstanding slotted lugs 31 and below these In 31 the lower shell or casing 7 is provided wlth outstanding hinge lugs 32 to which latter clamping bo ts 33 are pivoted. Bolts 33 are provided with clamping nuts 34 and adapted to be tightened against the lugs 31 when bolts 33 are turnedupward into and extended through the notches of said lugs 31.

By the clamping device described, the upper section of the cleaner may be readily detached from the lower section and conversely may be quickly and easily and securely clamped to said lower section. The filter cartridge is shown as provided with a bail-like hand-piece 35 applied to its ivoted head 25 and by which it may be rea ily handled for cleaning purposes.

Under suction produced from the carburetor, air will be drawn into the primary cleaner through the perforations 23 and by the oblique blades 21 willbe caused to take up a whirling motion within the upper'portion of casing 14 above partition 15. Under such whirling motion, the dust will by centrifu lforce be thrown outwarda ainstthe walls 0 the shell 14 and by the act1on of gravity will be caused to settle so that under the whirling motion the major portion of the dust,

usuall or per cent thereof, will be cause to as down through the ports 16 and info the ust chamber 17. The minor portion of the dust in the.air, to wit: 15 to 20 per cent, will be carried down through the air tube 13 and caused to pass through the filtering cartridge and by the latter all or substantially all of the dust will be removed from the air so that substantially one-hundred per cent clean air will be delivered to the carburetor. When the clamping ring 30 is loosened and released, the up or portion of the cleaner can be readily pic ed up and re: moved and when this is done of course the cartridge may be readily picked u and removed. The filterin material 0 he cartridge will be ,cleane in the usual wa by dipping the same in cleaning fluid such as gasoline and thereafter by dipping the same 1n--a heavier oil. When the plug 19 is removed and the upper section of the cleaner is turned on one side, dust will run freely from the dust chamber 17.

In actual practice, the efliciency of this air cleaner has been thoroughly demonstrated.

What I claim is:

1. An air cleaner comprising an upright lower casing provided near its bottom with an outlet for connection to a carburetor, an upper shell provided with a dome-like bottom portion havin a flange detachably seated on the up er en of said lower casing, an air tube 0 smaller diameter and shorter than said upper shell extended upward from the bottom thereof, an annular partition extending between the u per portion of said air tube and the wall 0 said upper shell and provided with a dust port for the preci itation of dust into the dust chamber forme in said shell belowsaid partition, an air deflector in the upper portion ,of said upper shell for causing air to take -a whirling motion above said partition, said shell above said'air deflector being arranged for the intake of dustlad en air, and a filter within said lower casing.

2. An air cleaner comprising an upright lower casing provided near its bottom with an outlet for connection to a carburetor, an upper shell provided with a dome-like bottom portion having a flange detachably seated on the upper end of said lower casing, an air tube of smaller diameter and shorter than said upper shell extended upward from the zoo tube and the wall of said upper shell and provided with a dust portfor the precipitation of dust into the dust chamber formed in said shell below said partition, an air deflector in the upper portion of said upper shell for causing air to take a whirling motion above said partition, said shell above said air deflector being arranged for the intake of dust-laden air, and a filter within said lower casing, said filter being in theform of a. cartridge comprising a cartridge shell and a filler, said cartridge shell havlng an outstanding flange clamped in the joint between said lower casing and the bottom flange of said upper shell.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 in furrounding and engaging the flanged base of said u said upper shell and provided with open norma notches and nut-equipped clamping bolts 10 pivoted to said lower casing and 00-0 crating with the notched portions of said c amping ring.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 in which said upper shell is provided with a lateral dust-discharge passage opening from the lower dust-receiving portion thereof, and a removable plug normally closing said dustdischarge passage.

5. An air cleaner comprising a lower casing provided near its bottomwith an air discharge passage for connection to a carburetor and provided at its upper edge with a jointforming ledge, an upper shell provided with a dome-like bottom with an outstanding seating ledge, an air tube of much less diameter and much shorter than said upper shell extending from the dome-like bottom thereof, upward therein, a horizontal annular partition extended between the upper portion of said air tube and the wall of said upper shell and having a dust port for the precipitation of dust into the dust-receiving chamber formed below the same, means in the upper portion of said upper shell for causing the incoming air to take up a whirling motion in said upper shell above said annular partition, and a filter in the form of a cartridge comprising a shell and a filler, said cartridge shell having an outstanding flange clamped between the seating ledges of said lower casirtilguand the dome-like base of said upper s e 6. The structure defined in claim 5 in further combination with a clamping ring seated on the flanged dome-like base of said upper shell, and clamping means connecting said clamping ring to said lower casing.

7. An air cleaner comprising a lower casing provided near its bottom with an air discharge passage for connection to a carburetor and provided at its upper edge with a joint-forming ledge, an upper shell provided with a dome-like bottom with an outstanding seating ledge, an air tube of much less diameter and much shorter than said upper shell extending from the dome-like bottom thereof, upward therein, a horizontal annular partition extended between the upper portion of said air tube and the wall of said upper shell and having a dust port for the precipitation of dust into the dust-receivingchamber formed below the same, means in the upper portion of said upper shell for causing the incoming air to take up a whirling motion in said upper shell above said annular partition, and a filter in the form of a-cartridge comprising a shell and a filler, said cartridge shell having an outstanding flange clamped between the seating ledges of said lower casing and the dome-like base of per shell, said upper shell having a y closed dust outlet passage in the wer portion of one side thereof.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

FRANK A; DONALDSON. 

